Back to Sabaody

Zerina sighed as she stared out over the landscape of Rusukaina. She was sitting in a tree, lost in thought. For two long years this had been the place where she lived. This was the place where she developed her fighting skills. Skills that she didn't even know she had. Her fingers raised up and touched the strap laying against her chest and shoulder. She had acquired two weapons and was now a master of them.

Or she was a master of them in Luffy's eyes. She was still unsure about it. She didn't feel like a master of them. After all, she only has two years of experience using them. Others have had years of training. She wished that Rayleigh was still on the island. But he had left six months ago. She wanted to asked him if there was anything else he could teach her about her newly acquired abilities.

She was also concerned about her friends back on Hydra. She constantly worried about it when she wasn't training and sometimes when she was training. It bugged her that she didn't know what was going on back there. It bugged her even more that she was still with Luffy after two years. Wasn't Angel looking for her? Or did Mari somehow manage to keep Angel distracted for two years? How would that even be possible? The unknown was really bugging her. She wondered if Luffy even notice her worrying. If he did, he never asked her about it. Maybe she was just lucky he was so naive.

"Rina! Rina! Hey! Rina!"

"Huh?" Zerina looked over her shoulder and down at Luffy. He had both hands in the air waving at her. His typically toothy grin was plastered on his face. She wondered how long he had been calling her.

"The ship is here! It's time to go!" Luffy informed her.

"Oh. Okay," Zerina called back. She leaned back and let herself fall off the limb. While in the air, she did a couple flips and spins before landing effortlessly on her bare feet.

"Ha! Ha!" Luffy laughed and clapped. "Beautifully done, Rina! You executed those moves perfectly."

"Uh." Zerina blushed at his praise. She rubbed the back of her neck. She paused momentarily to notice how long her hair had gotten these past couple of years. It was several inches longer and tided up with a stripe of cloth that torn from one of her outfits long ago. She couldn't decide if she liked it or if she wanted to cut it back to its normal link. "Thanks. But you're the one who's improved. I can't believe what you accomplished these past two years. That fourth gear of yours is amazing."

"Naw! I'm not that great. I just improved the skills I already had," Luffy said with his ever present grinned. "You're the one that's really improved. Your Haki has grown a lot."

"I don't know about that. I'm still an amateur after all," Zerina said with a shrug.

"Oh, don't talk like that, Rina," Luffy said as he walked up to her. He put his arm around her waist. Her heart rate sped up at his action. "You really have done wonderfully. You just don't see what I see. You are no amateur. You'll still train on the ship to get better. My crew will help you too. Usopp's our sniper, remember? I'm sure he'll be glad to give you some of his pointers. And Zoro will help strengthen your body. And Sanji will make sure you get all the nutrients you need to stay strong and healthy."

"You seem so sure of yourself," Zerina said with a small smirk. "Your crew might not even like me."

"Of course they'll like you! You're my girlfriend after all!" Luffy's grin grew widened. Zerina sighed again with a small smile of her own. Even though he had no clue what it meant, she really started to like him calling her that over these past two years. Her feet moved on their own when he started to pull her in the direction of the ship. "Besides…they'll have to like their co-captain it's an order from their captain."

"Co-captain?" Zerina raised an eyebrow at the hatless teenager beside her.

"That's right! Hee hee! You and me are the same!" Luffy chuckled.

Zerina sighed. She knew there was no arguing with him when he set his sights on something he really wanted. "All right, Lalu, if you say so."

"Come on!" Luffy took her hand then took off running. "There's something we've got to pick up before we head for the ship!"

"Right." Zerina nodded. She knew instantly what he was going after. She smiled. Straw Hat Luffy was about to make his comeback. The two remained quiet during their run to the only safest place on the island. They stopped running when they got there and slowly walked up to the hat Luffy left here two years ago. "My father's hat."

"Yeah." Luffy nodded. He released Zerina's hand and stepped up to the hat. He picked it up and brushed it off. He stared at it for a while before putting it on his head. "It seems like such a long time since I placed it here. Just doesn't feel right without it."

Zerina didn't say anything. Her silver eyes locked onto the hat. It's been such a long time since she seen him, her father. Now she has been here for two years. She wondered if he was going to be upset with her for not coming to see him all ready. Feeling guilty, she dropped her eyes to the ground. She really missed him, but was still slightly afraid of going to see him. She barely registered Luffy putting his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. Her hands rose up and clenched a hold of the back of his shirt. Tears poured over her eyelids.

"Rina," Luffy said softly. He stroked her back gently. "I want you to go see him. It's been far too long since you have."

"I know." Zerina nodded.

"You don't have to go right now, but I really do want you to go soon," Luffy said again. He pulled back from her. He brushed away her tears before speaking again. "I know you miss him. I know he misses you too. And, hey, he'll be so surprised to see how you have grown. I'll bet he'll be surprised to see you've developed Armament Haki!"

"He'll probably have a heart attack," Zerina said while thinking of her dad. "I don't think he was ever really fond of the idea of me fighting."

"Naw! He'll love it!" Luffy said insistently. "Have you thought about when you're going to go see him?"

"You said I didn't have to yet." Zerina shot Luffy a smirk.

"You're going. But after we return to the Sunny. I want you to officially meet our crew," Luffy said.

"Speaking of which…" Zerina paused. She bit her lip before continuing. "Are you going to tell them about me? You know…about my gift?"

Luffy didn't reply. Zerina locked eyes on to him. His hat fell over his eyes. She wished she could tell what he was thinking. She shifted from foot to foot. "Uh, Luffy?"

"Don't worry about it," Luffy finally said. "We'll just let things play out on their own. We don't have to tell them anything."

"Huh?" Zerina raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't sure what to expect him to stay, but that surely wasn't what she was expecting. "Luf-"

"Let's go!" Luffy reclaimed her hand and took off towards the ship. "They're waiting for us!"

"Luffy! That's too fast! I'm going to fall!" Zerina cried as Luffy dragged her along.

"Not to worry, Rina!" Luffy cried. He let go of her hand to grab her waist. She released a startled cry when he picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. She placed her hands on his abs, blushing in the process, and pushed herself up to look at him. She was going to tell him to put her down, but didn't get the chance. She noticed shadows had fallen over his eyes again, but his smile remained. "I'll never let you fall."

Zerina sighed. "Ugh. You are so hopeless. Do you know that?"

"Hee hee!" Luffy chuckled.

Zerina had no choice, but to remain on Luffy's shoulder. A few minutes later, they broke through the forest and came out to the same cliff they got dropped off on two years ago. Some of the Kuja were already on the cliff. They waved and cheered. "Hey! Luffy!"

"It's been so long!"

"It's good to see you!"

"Hi, everyone!" Luffy cheered and waved back to them.

"L-Luffy," Hancock stuttered as she halfway hid behind Marigold.

"Hey! Zerina!" Sandersonia smiled with a wave. "Look at you! You've gotten so strong!"

"Hi, Sandersonia," Zerina said. She pushed up on Luffy's stomach again to try and look at the women. It really didn't work very well. "Uh, Luffy? You can put me down now."

"Naw. I'm fine," Luffy replied.

"Luffy!" Zerina grumbled.

"If you two are ready to go, we can set sail whenever you're ready," Marigold said, turning to the ship.

"Might as well." Luffy nodded. "We got a long trip back to Sabaody. I can't wait to see my friends!"

"Oh, L-Luffy, we got a meal prepared for you," Hancock said. The woman was still blushing and hiding behind her sister. Zerina rolled her eyes. It was obvious the dark haired woman was ignoring her on purpose. Zerina didn't care.

"Zerina," Sandersonia called.

"Huh?" Zerina tried to look at her again. Or she looked at her the best she could while hanging from Luffy's shoulder.

"I brought you some new clothes as well," The tall woman said as they all started to make their way to the ship. "I also had them made to the way that you like them."

"Oh, well, that's nice of you," Zerina said. She blinked. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted too," Sandersonia replied. "I figured all the ones you brought with you would be pretty worn out by now."

"They are," Zerina said with a nod. She thought about the bikini style outfit she was wearing. It was the last one she had. And it was held together from scrapes of the other outfits and dress she had brought with her. She never thought her training would completely shred them all.

"And we're going to have a bath prepared for you when you're ready for one," Marigold added.

"A bath?! I so love you all right now!" Zerina shouted. Her cheeks blushed red in dreamy anticipation on soaking in a hot bath. She started kicking her legs and waving her arms at the ship. "I haven't had a real bath in so long! All we had on this stupid island was a cold river! Let me at it!"

"You're eating first," Luffy then said in an authoritative tone she wasn't use too.

"What? Why? It's my bath!" Zerina protested.

"I'm your captain," Luffy gave her a cheeky grin. "And you are eating before you bathe."

"Ugh! Luffy! You said we were co-captains! That means I can decide on what I want!" Zerina kicked her feet again as Luffy ignored her and carried her on the ship. "I want a bath! It's a hot bath! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had a hot bath?! How can you deny me that?!"

Luffy chuckled. "If you take a bath before you eat, I'll be joining you in the bath and bring the food with me."

Zerina instantly stopped struggling. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as her face flushed ten shades of red. She vaguely heard the other women chuckling at her predicament. She thought she heard Hancock growling at her, but she wasn't sure. Next thing she knew, she was sitting at a table with Luffy beside her and a large array of foods in front of her. She blinked rapidly at the food. Luffy brought a piece of meat up to her lips. "Eat."

Obediently, she parted her lips for him. She sighed and chewed on the meat. The tantalizing flavors of it made her taste buds dance and her stomach rumble. She heard Luffy laugh again. "See? Aren't you glad you decided to eat before taking a bath?"

"I decided?" Zerina shot Luffy a scrutinizing look.

"I told you! You're my co-captain!" Luffy insisted again. "If I make a decision, you make the decision too!"

"That's not how that works, Luffy," Zerina grumbled. "We're not the same person. We have to discuss decisions together. You can't just make them yourself then say we made the decision together."

"Mmm, close enough!" Luffy smiled just as carefree as ever.

"Give it up, Zerina," Sandersonia said with a chuckle. "It might not make sense, but you're not getting out of this."

Zerina released a surrendering sigh. "Fine. We're the same person. We made the 'me eating decision' together."

"Good girl!" Luffy nodded. Zerina rolled her eyes, but continued eating.

Eventually, she admitted to herself that eating before her bath was the correct decision. The food was amazing. All they had on the island was whatever they could catch. And that was mostly fish. The other animals on the island, somehow, became Luffy and her friends. They couldn't eat them then. Luffy was more upset about that turn of events than she was. They also had Luffy's meat wishes. But Zerina didn't like meat like Luffy did. She grew tired of eating so much of it. She was ready for other meals. Meals that included spices. Spices were also lacking on the island with its rough weather changes.

"Hey, Rina?" Zerina paused when she heard Luffy calling for her again. She was heading for her bath now. She rested her hand on the doorframe and looked back at him. "I was just wondering, are you gonna cut your hair?"

"I was thinking about it," Zerina said while touching her hair. "I don't think I'm really gonna like it this long. It's kinda heavy too. Why?"

"I was just curious." Luffy put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "I liked it better when it was shorter. The wild, windblown look suits you better. You look more like your dad. I think you should cut it."

"You're probably right." Zerina pulled her hair over her shoulder. "Long hair like this can be difficult to take care of. Hey, Sandersonia?"

"Yes?" The green haired woman looked at her.

"Do you all have a pair of scissors I can borrow to cut my hair?" Zerina asked.

Sandersonia nodded. She stood up from her chair and walked over to Zerina. "There's one in the bathroom. I can show you where."

"Thanks." Zerina nodded. She followed the tall woman out of the room and down the hall. It only took a couple minutes for them to reach the bathroom. They stepped inside. Zerina's mouth fell open. The bath was huge. It was large rectangular shape pool like bath tube. Stream was rising out of the hot water. The stream filled the room making taking a bath even more tantalizing. "You warriors are seriously my most favorite people on the planet right now."

Sandersonia laughed. "Well, you are more than welcome to take as long as you want. I know I would if I only had a cold river for baths for two entire years. The scissors are right here."

Reluctantly, Zerina pulled her eyes from the streamy water. Sandersonia was pulling open a draw in the vanity that was in the room. She pulled out the scissors and placed them on the vanity desk. She pointed to a bag sitting on the floor by the vanity stool and looked to Zerina. She said, "Your clothes are right here. Is there anything else you need?"

"Um, is anyone else going to come in here while I'm bathing?" Zerina asked. She shifted from foot to foot. Sandersonia raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, I just like taking baths in private. I'm not use to sharing with anyone."

"Ah, I see. Different cultures and all." Sandersonia nodded.

"Yeah." Zerina nodded, feeling guilty about her little lie.

"No, we'll stay out of here. You can have all the privacy you need," Sandersonia said with a smile.

"Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it," Zerina replied. She rubbed her right hand on her left arm while bending back her right leg and tapping her toes on the floor.

"I'll see you later then," Sandersonia said with a wave as she exited the bathroom.

"Thanks." Zerina waved back. Once the door was closed, she turned to look back at the steamy water. She sighed. She really wanted to crawl into that hot water. But she also didn't want to wash so much hair. With another sigh, she stepped over to the vanity. She quickly snipped away at her long red tresses.

When she finally got her hair back to its original link, she picked up her loose hairs and tossed them into the wastebasket. Then, finally, after so long, she stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the hot water. Another, longer content sigh left her lips. "This feels so amazing! If I could, I would stay in here for two years to make up for not having a hot bath."

…

Later that night, Zerina was sitting against the mass of the ship. She was staring up at the star filled sky and humming a lullaby she thought she had forgotten long ago. She was so lost in her song and staring up at the stars that she didn't even register Luffy sitting down beside her. She didn't even notice him putting his arm around her waist and pulling her to his side. She only notice him when he spoke softly to her. He whispered, "Sing for me."

Softly, Zerina smoothly turned her hums into words. She sang for him.

"Oh La Lalu, Oh La Lalu

Oh, my little star keeper He'll gather up the stardust for you

Oh La Lalu, Oh La Lalu Little soft wish maker Here comes the star key for you

Oh La Lalu, Oh La Lalu Little sweet star sprites are dancing just for you So trust in him, let him help

Oh La Lalu, Oh La Lalu And his love be your keeper Oh La Lalu, La Lalu, La Lalu"

Zerina sang through the song a couple more times before ending it effortlessly. Luffy nodded approvingly. He said, "I love it when you sing."

"I thought I had forgotten that song. I wonder why I just remembered it?" Zerina spoke softly. Mindlessly, she leaned into Luffy's embrace.

"Your mother sang that song to you, didn't she?" Luffy asked gently.

"She did." Zerina nodded. Tears pierced the back of her eyes. "I wish I could remember what she was like."

"I know you do. And that's why I'm so insistent on you going to see Shanks," Luffy said. He tightened his hold on her even more. It made her feel safe, protected. Like nothing in the world could ever hurt her. But she knew that was just naive thinking. She knew that. She knew she could easily hurt him with a wish. She knew others could easily hurt him with their wish making abilities too.

"Lalu?" Zerina whispered.

"Yes?"

"I want to your crew to be aware of my gift."

"Why?" Luffy pulled away from her a bit.

She took a slow deep breath before turning to him. "Because they need to know so they don't accidentally make a wish with me around."

Luffy's hat dropped over his eyes. Zerina sighed. She grabbed the rim of his hat and pulled it back up. "Luffy, I'm serious about this. Why don't you want them to know about it?"

Zerina tilted her head in confusion when Luffy looked away from her. He kept his eyes averted from her for several seconds. He sighed then turned back to her. He said, "I'm sorry. I guess…I just didn't want to share that secret with anyone. I just wanted it to be between us."

"Seriously?" Zerina blinked. "Why?"

"I don't know." Luffy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I guess I was just being possessive of you. You're my Rina and no one else's. But you are right. They need to know about what all you can do. I don't want you to get hurt from granting accidental wishes."

"Uh, you haven't told them about me, haven't you?" Zerina blinked a couple more times at Luffy.

"Um…Nope." Luffy gave her a cheesy grin.

Zerina's mouth dropped open. Her mind shorted out for some reason. She felt her chin bob up and down while she tried to form words. It took her several minutes before she was finally about to speak again. And that was only one word. "Why?"

"I already told you, you are my Rina and no one else's." Luffy chuckled. "Besides, there really hasn't been a time where the subject of you came up."

"What do you mean?" Zerina questioned.

"Just that." Luffy shrugged. "I guess I just never found the right time to tell them about you. I hope your not angry with me."

"No," Zerina sighed. "I'm not angry. I'm just surprised I guess. I figured with the way we communicated they would get suspicious of you just sitting there with random emotions popping up on your face. Or that they might over hear you talking to yourself."

"Hmm. I don't think they noticed anything like that," Luffy said with a thoughtful expression. "Then I wouldn't know. When I talk to you during those times, I only focused on you."

Zerina felt her face grow hot as her heart started to race. She really wasn't sure what to think about him keeping her a secret from his friends, but she couldn't deny that a part of her really like that their bond was just between them. Luffy's voice broke through her thoughts. He asked, "By the way, why are you out here anyway? You should be sleeping."

"Oh, I guess I've just been sleeping outside for so long that I'm not use to such a comfortable bed," Zerina said with a shrug. "I think it's going to take some time for me to get use to sleeping indoors. If I ever get use to it again. I kinda like it outside. I like being able to look at the stars."

"I suppose that makes sense." Luffy nodded. "Well, when we're back on the Sunny, you can sleep wherever you want. If you wanna sleep in the women's quarters then you can. If you wanna sleep outside then you can. But if you ever have trouble sleeping for any reason, I want you to come to be, okay? Promise me you'll come to me."

"Sure thing, Lalu." Zerina giggled. "If I ever have trouble sleeping, I'll come to you."

"Great! Now time for you to sleep." Luffy placed his hand on her head and forced her to lay down on his lap.

"Lu-"

"Nope. I said for you to sleep," Luffy insisted.

"All right." Zerina nodded with a low sigh. She closed her eyes. And with in minutes, she was fast asleep.

…

Author's Notes: Again, I apologize for the delay. I'm gonna start making myself work on this story 'before' I work on Neo's. She just grabs my attention so much that I ignore this one. :/

loveanimation4life: Yeah, I am a bit encouraged to write. Now if only I can get into the habit of focussing more on this story than I am (and my own that I wanna publish). Glad ya like it too. I'm not so sure about it myself, but I think it'll get better once I give it the attention it should get and when I finally get to the actual point of the story.

Apple Bloom: Thanks. Glad ya like it too. Same as I told loveanimation4life, I'll try to give this one more attention than I am. Then it should get better once I do.